Lilly: China Halves TB Cases In 20 Years
By David Marbaugh
Today's guest blog comes from Lilly's Vice President of Global Health Programs and Access, Dr. Evan Lee.
Perhaps the most encouraging news to come out of World TB Day this year is a study in the Lancet showing that China has managed to slash TB cases by more than half in just two decades. Between 1990 and 2010, the prevalence of TB cases dropped from 170 to just 59 per 100,000 people.
Its formula for success: aggressive scale-up of the World Health Organization’s recommended treatment strategy, known as DOTS, where a TB diagnosis is confirmed and the administration of a full-course of treatment is directly supervised by a doctor, nurse, or even a friend or family member. Chinese health officials systematically expanded this approach from central hospitals to local public health centers throughout the country -- bringing care closer to the patient.
To read more about Lilly's efforts to help with TB in China, please read our blog.
